FORT RUCKER, Ala. (November 29, 2012) -- As rain fell on the field, the D Company, 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment Bama Bombers took on the U.S. Army Aviation Research Laboratory's Double Tap during an intramural football playoff game at the Fort Rucker Physical Fitness Facility Nov. 26.
The game started with no clear advantage from either team, but the Bama Bombers came out on top to beat Double Tap 24-6.
"It was good all-around playing by both [teams]," said 2nd Lt. Mark Dube, player for the Bama Bombers. "I thought we had good communication, and our defense and offense were clicking really well."
Double Tap received the opening kick and managed a short return to start the game, but their opponents defense were hard at work and were able to keep them at bay early in the game and force a punt.
As D Co. took possession, they were at an advantage starting at the 50-yard line, but Double Tap's defense mirrored their opponent's and kept them from a first down. The Bama Bombers had other plans, however, as they managed to get past USAARL's defense for a first down, bringing them within 20 yards of the goal line. Their offense continued to push past Double Tap and get within yards of the goal line.
With pressure to keep their opponents out of the end zone, Double Tap brought back an aggressive defense to hold the Bama Bombers back and force a turnover at the one-yard line.
USAARL had their work cut out to bring the ball downfield, but a 20-yard pass pulled them away from their end zone.
Play after play, Double Tap managed to push their opponents back and advance downfield, but the Bama Bombers were able to stop the USAARL team and take possession of the ball.
It seemed anybody's game as possession continually changed hands while neither team was able to score with only minutes remaining in the first half. Bama Bombers took possession of the ball, determined to make up some ground against their opponents, and pushed aggressively toward the end zone. They finally managed the first touchdown of the game with a 45-yard play with four minutes remaining in the first half.
Double Tap took possession and pushed hard downfield to try and stay in the game, but the Bama Bombers seemed to have found their momentum and forced their opponents to punt.
D Company managed a 40-yard punt return to keep pressure on the USAARL team, who couldn't seem to find their footing at this point in the game. As Double Tap's defense slipped, the Bama Bombers scored their second touchdown and extra point to bring the score to 14-0.
Double Tap took their last possession of the half and managed to get within 10 yards of the opposing end zone, but an interception dashed all hopes of a score as the half ended.
At the return from halftime, Bama Bombers received the kick and were able to get to the 50-yard line. Their momentum didn't seem to wane during halftime as they pushed farther downfield, getting past their opponents' defense to score their third touchdown minutes into the second half.
Double Tap had their work cut out for them with their first possession of the half, but D Company's defense kept them from advancing and they were forced to punt again.
Bama Bomber's superior defense was only matched by their offense as they threw pass after pass to again bring them within yards of the goal line, but Double Tap managed to hold them back and force a field goal to bring the score to 24-0.
Time was running out for Double Tap, but they proved to still have some fight left in them as they took possession and ran a 60-yard play to score their first touchdown. They decided to go for the two-point conversion, but were unsuccessful and the Bama Bombers took possession.
D Company's offensive superiority seemed to diminish and Double Tap was able to hold the Bama Bombers back, and even pick off a pass to retake possession with less than 2 minutes left in the game.
Although the Bama Bombers' offense seemed to fizzle toward the end, their defense remained strong to hold off their opponents, allowing the clock to wind down for the win and advance them to the final game.
"This game advances us to the final and I feel confident," said 1st Lt. Sean Boniface, captain for the Bama Bombers. "If we can win the final game, we will win the tournament."
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